Behaved myself and hit the lake straight after work rather than skiving off early. Wind seemed good so I carried my 16 & 13 Crossbow over to the lake but despite all the white caps, it was weaker than it looked so I pumped up the 16 and jumped in.
... how fast can I get the board on my feet and started? Pretty damn fast when it's cold :D nearly went haywire though as I missed my front footing at first. Couldn't see any snow on the hills on the other side of the lake COS IT WAS FRICKEN SNOWING UP THERE and it was covered in cloud! Had to bodydrag back to the board once ... not nice!
Had a nice time out playing, trying to get back into the groove. Wind was a bit gusty, alternately had to work it or edge hard to hold an upwind tack ...
Did some nice hop to toeside, downloop the kite then carve out the other way turns and tried some jumps but my timing is off and I'm afraid of really sending it cos it's cold in the water! Did it properly once though, and got a good jump straight up - I think I can see how it works better now!
Stayed out as long as I dared - sun was setting and I could feel the temperature dropping. Landed and packed up ... must have arrived about 4:30pm, got back in the car at 6 - probably an hour on the lake :)
What I learned today ...
• I'm a pussy.
• Sending and jumping properly is fun but needs more commitment than I was willing to give. See above.
• Love the Recoil upgrade for the Cab bar - downloop fast and powered turns rock!
• LE seems softer when I come back in than when I went out - hoping it's the cold air decreasing the volume of the LE and not a leak :(
• I need gloves.
• Seem to be getting a little better at riding toeside ... watching vids and thinking about it helps :D
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Was it worth it?
The wind was forecast for a miserly 10 knots but I thought it'd be nice to test out the Speed 2.5, post-repairs and tweaks ... it was a nice sunny day - what better way to spend it?
Got to the lake about 2:30 and dragged my SA2.5 over the road ... set up, launched and got a run out and back before the wind fell off and I had to walk up the beach. Sat around for a while waiting for the wind to come back up, but it didn't so I gave up. Wound up my lines but left the SA2.5 on the beach.
Went back to the car and got out the Psycho3 13 and all the bits'n'pieces I'd ordered for it. Took it over to the beach then started setting it up - connecting lines and whatnot. Ordered a lineset from FS which came with the full length of 12, 6 and 3m - unlike the FDS that was on the kite originally :( so like my SA2.5, I have to use the FDS with shorter lines ... nuts!
Finally got it all together and launched!
Hmm ... FDS is now too short. Landed and added the frangible link bit. Better. Kite still wants to back stall so I trim it a bit ... WOW this things fast for a foil! And pulls hard too ... gonna be good!
Sun is falling but the wind's picked up so I land the Psycho3 and launch the Speed2 and take a few tacks on the board ... running out of beach so I come ashore but drop the kite and the fucking FDS line loops and knots itself around the other lines so I have to run away securing the kite and sorting that out before I can walk back up the beach.
So the answer is - yes :)
Got to the lake about 2:30 and dragged my SA2.5 over the road ... set up, launched and got a run out and back before the wind fell off and I had to walk up the beach. Sat around for a while waiting for the wind to come back up, but it didn't so I gave up. Wound up my lines but left the SA2.5 on the beach.
Went back to the car and got out the Psycho3 13 and all the bits'n'pieces I'd ordered for it. Took it over to the beach then started setting it up - connecting lines and whatnot. Ordered a lineset from FS which came with the full length of 12, 6 and 3m - unlike the FDS that was on the kite originally :( so like my SA2.5, I have to use the FDS with shorter lines ... nuts!
Finally got it all together and launched!
Hmm ... FDS is now too short. Landed and added the frangible link bit. Better. Kite still wants to back stall so I trim it a bit ... WOW this things fast for a foil! And pulls hard too ... gonna be good!
Sun is falling but the wind's picked up so I land the Psycho3 and launch the Speed2 and take a few tacks on the board ... running out of beach so I come ashore but drop the kite and the fucking FDS line loops and knots itself around the other lines so I have to run away securing the kite and sorting that out before I can walk back up the beach.
So the answer is - yes :)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
FFfffff ... uuuuuu ... haaaa ... reeeeezing!
Thought I'd go down the lake, fly the Outlaw and check-out the Ozone CL mod ... natch, I left it at home but Hiro-chan was there so I went and had a look at him for a bit but the wind-chill was nasty so I went home. 8°C on the Yahoo! weather forecast ...
However ...!
Driving home the sun came out and I thought about 2 months with no riding so I sucked it up, took off the skirt and put my water gear in the car, turned around and drove back!
Got there about 3:30pm and pumped up the 16m Crossbow cos the wind had dropped since erm 3pm and by the time I'd done that, I was sweating :D grabbed the board and got in the water.
"Oh wow water's about as cold as last time I was in it" ... except for the wind-chill! Crikey!
So began the first session of 2011! Boy am I ever rusty ... tooled around for a bit, timidly tried to jump (lol) but the wind was on and off - even had to drag into shore cos it dropped off but I found a new hat so that was nice - but I got in about an hour's ride until my frozen balls screamed ENOUGH and I packed up.
Bit desperate, but good to be back in the saddle :D
What I learned today ...
• I really should invest in a wetsuit - shorts, 2x rash-gaurds and a t-shirt doesn't really cut it.
• Snow on the hills beside the lake is probably a good indicator of how cold it's going to be!
• The Ion Ballistic shoe things work good to keep my feet warm but they make it tough to get feet in straps and actually make my feet hurt like my ski-boots are too tight :(
• Warming up in the shower at the clubhouse ... the pins and needles were interesting. Couldn't warm up properly until I got in the bath either. One good thing about Japan - baths!
UPDATE Feb 26
Grandpa made a movie of Hironobu that day and I make a brief cameo :D
However ...!
Driving home the sun came out and I thought about 2 months with no riding so I sucked it up, took off the skirt and put my water gear in the car, turned around and drove back!
Got there about 3:30pm and pumped up the 16m Crossbow cos the wind had dropped since erm 3pm and by the time I'd done that, I was sweating :D grabbed the board and got in the water.
"Oh wow water's about as cold as last time I was in it" ... except for the wind-chill! Crikey!
So began the first session of 2011! Boy am I ever rusty ... tooled around for a bit, timidly tried to jump (lol) but the wind was on and off - even had to drag into shore cos it dropped off but I found a new hat so that was nice - but I got in about an hour's ride until my frozen balls screamed ENOUGH and I packed up.
Bit desperate, but good to be back in the saddle :D
What I learned today ...
• I really should invest in a wetsuit - shorts, 2x rash-gaurds and a t-shirt doesn't really cut it.
• Snow on the hills beside the lake is probably a good indicator of how cold it's going to be!
• The Ion Ballistic shoe things work good to keep my feet warm but they make it tough to get feet in straps and actually make my feet hurt like my ski-boots are too tight :(
• Warming up in the shower at the clubhouse ... the pins and needles were interesting. Couldn't warm up properly until I got in the bath either. One good thing about Japan - baths!
UPDATE Feb 26
Grandpa made a movie of Hironobu that day and I make a brief cameo :D
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Notes to self on DIY of the Megatron chicken loop for Flysurfer bars
With pictures and more or less information.
Update - ordered some Samson LashIt! twine from the US ... made from Dyneema and UV coated, 180 feet for $25 plus the same for shipping 0_o 1.75mm and 500lbs (230kg) breaking load - just what the doctor ordered! Hopefully :D and there should be much less grunting and swearing involved ...
Update on the update - LashIt! has arrived and looks excellent - adds very little to the thickness of the 5mm and oddly enough, looks exactly like what is used in the Flysurfer depower line ... will get into making a line tonight and promise to take pictures!
Supplies
• About 150cm of 5mm (3/16) Amsteel Blue SK-75, breaking load 2,500kg for the depower loop line
• and 100cm of 2.8 of Amsteel Blue SK-75, breaking load 750kg for the "core" ... probably the 2.2mm LashIt! would have been better than the 1.75mm but cest la vie and all that.
• 5/8mm ID/OD PU tubing - goes under the spinning handle and is easier than reusing the Ozone stuff ... it's just compressor line anyway
• Ozone Megatron chicken loop (duh) with the "Spinning Handle" for the 5th line safety
• Heat-shrink (or whipping line - synthetic)
• Needles and thread (synthetic too)
Tools
• Long-nosed pliers
• DIY pull fid - made from coated 20-gauge wire, put the end you want a loop in, in a drill and spun slowly till at least 1m long
• tie ball to push the tubing, about 20mm
0. Skip all this crap and use the Beal line. The easiest option by a country mile, but 1,200kg breaking load bothers me ...
1. Cut the PU tubing to fit inside the "Spinning Handle" - about 6cm long.
2. Taper the end of the 5mm Amsteel ...
• measure and mark at 70mm, 90mm and 110mm
• pull out 2 braids at each mark, starting at 110mm and working towards the tip
• should leave about 3-4 lines at the tip - if there's more, pull out a few more between the marks - keep the taper smooth!
3. Splice the 'core' into the 5mm Amsteel with the wire fid. Leave some sticking out on either end so you can pull it tight.
4. Start the lock stitch about 5mm from where you plan to cut. Slide the heat-shrink over the 5mm. Stitch out away from where you'll cut, then when you turn around to stitch back, cut and heat-shrink it then stitch back to the end and over the heat shrink.
5. Figure-8 knot in that end - that'll be going inside the CL body.
6. Remove the suicide-leash loop. Feed the tapered end of the 5mm up into the body of the CL, orientated so that the knot will be inside. Pull the 5mm though, smoothing it over the core. Pull hard to seat the Figure-8 stopper knot.
7. Feed the tapered end of the 5mm into the PU tube - twist and push!
8. If all goes well, the gods are smiling, the planets align and you hold your tongue just right - you should be able to pull out the 5mm and slide the PU over the taper, down the line and over the part with the core. From here on, use the ball-thingy to push the PU tube down to the CL body. Smooth out the 5mm over the core and seat it hard against the body of the CL.
9. Fit the spinning handle onto the PU tubing ... using a smaller core makes life easier - zero strain with the 1.75mm LashIt!. Leave the screws just snugged-up for now.
10. Make sure the 5mm is smooth and taught over the core; measure 40cm from the spinning handle body (40cm is standard for FS kites - J. suggests 40-45cm; my SA2.5 is 48cm) and then figure out how much you need for a Bowline ...
11. Cut the line off square and secure the tip with heat-shrink or whipping - and lock stitch ... I had planned to cut 1.1m of 5mm and end up with 1m of depower line but somehow it ended up as a finished length of 70cm which is about perfect - you can easily (kinda!) tie a bowline at the trim strap and still have 45cm of depower. That's before it's put under load and tightens up ...
12. Feed the depower line through the bar, fit the gust absorber and feed/pull through the trim strap - make sure there's some 8mm OD PU tubing in there!
13. Bowline at the trim strap. Get it tight! It'll all snug up on the next flight, so be prepared to adjust front leader lines or mixer 0_o'
14. Tidy it all up; refit the suicide-leash loop, tighten the screws on the spinning handle (make sure it and the PU tubing is seated hard against the CL body), cover the gust absorber.
15. Go fly! Check to stretch etc and SailKote the line!
Update - ordered some Samson LashIt! twine from the US ... made from Dyneema and UV coated, 180 feet for $25 plus the same for shipping 0_o 1.75mm and 500lbs (230kg) breaking load - just what the doctor ordered! Hopefully :D and there should be much less grunting and swearing involved ...
Update on the update - LashIt! has arrived and looks excellent - adds very little to the thickness of the 5mm and oddly enough, looks exactly like what is used in the Flysurfer depower line ... will get into making a line tonight and promise to take pictures!
Supplies
• About 150cm of 5mm (3/16) Amsteel Blue SK-75, breaking load 2,500kg for the depower loop line
• and 100cm of 2.8 of Amsteel Blue SK-75, breaking load 750kg for the "core" ... probably the 2.2mm LashIt! would have been better than the 1.75mm but cest la vie and all that.
• 5/8mm ID/OD PU tubing - goes under the spinning handle and is easier than reusing the Ozone stuff ... it's just compressor line anyway
• Ozone Megatron chicken loop (duh) with the "Spinning Handle" for the 5th line safety
• Heat-shrink (or whipping line - synthetic)
• Needles and thread (synthetic too)
Tools
• Long-nosed pliers
• DIY pull fid - made from coated 20-gauge wire, put the end you want a loop in, in a drill and spun slowly till at least 1m long
• tie ball to push the tubing, about 20mm
0. Skip all this crap and use the Beal line. The easiest option by a country mile, but 1,200kg breaking load bothers me ...
1. Cut the PU tubing to fit inside the "Spinning Handle" - about 6cm long.
2. Taper the end of the 5mm Amsteel ...
• measure and mark at 70mm, 90mm and 110mm
• pull out 2 braids at each mark, starting at 110mm and working towards the tip
• should leave about 3-4 lines at the tip - if there's more, pull out a few more between the marks - keep the taper smooth!
3. Splice the 'core' into the 5mm Amsteel with the wire fid. Leave some sticking out on either end so you can pull it tight.
4. Start the lock stitch about 5mm from where you plan to cut. Slide the heat-shrink over the 5mm. Stitch out away from where you'll cut, then when you turn around to stitch back, cut and heat-shrink it then stitch back to the end and over the heat shrink.
5. Figure-8 knot in that end - that'll be going inside the CL body.
6. Remove the suicide-leash loop. Feed the tapered end of the 5mm up into the body of the CL, orientated so that the knot will be inside. Pull the 5mm though, smoothing it over the core. Pull hard to seat the Figure-8 stopper knot.
7. Feed the tapered end of the 5mm into the PU tube - twist and push!
8. If all goes well, the gods are smiling, the planets align and you hold your tongue just right - you should be able to pull out the 5mm and slide the PU over the taper, down the line and over the part with the core. From here on, use the ball-thingy to push the PU tube down to the CL body. Smooth out the 5mm over the core and seat it hard against the body of the CL.
9. Fit the spinning handle onto the PU tubing ... using a smaller core makes life easier - zero strain with the 1.75mm LashIt!. Leave the screws just snugged-up for now.
10. Make sure the 5mm is smooth and taught over the core; measure 40cm from the spinning handle body (40cm is standard for FS kites - J. suggests 40-45cm; my SA2.5 is 48cm) and then figure out how much you need for a Bowline ...
11. Cut the line off square and secure the tip with heat-shrink or whipping - and lock stitch ... I had planned to cut 1.1m of 5mm and end up with 1m of depower line but somehow it ended up as a finished length of 70cm which is about perfect - you can easily (kinda!) tie a bowline at the trim strap and still have 45cm of depower. That's before it's put under load and tightens up ...
12. Feed the depower line through the bar, fit the gust absorber and feed/pull through the trim strap - make sure there's some 8mm OD PU tubing in there!
13. Bowline at the trim strap. Get it tight! It'll all snug up on the next flight, so be prepared to adjust front leader lines or mixer 0_o'
14. Tidy it all up; refit the suicide-leash loop, tighten the screws on the spinning handle (make sure it and the PU tubing is seated hard against the CL body), cover the gust absorber.
15. Go fly! Check to stretch etc and SailKote the line!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Testing, testing ...
Took the Synergy 19 down to the lake for a quick test flight after work - I'd put
Ronstan Orbit series 20 blocks (pulleys) on it a while back, but only now just got around to flying it.
Used the same method as on the Charger to attach the block - little pig tail through the block then "Lark's Head" onto the strap on the kite. I used 3.2mm Amsteel Blue (in red) and stitched and knotted the pig tail. I think I used about 140mm but I forget now ... anyway, it was a tight fit to get onto the kite, but now it's only about 5mm longer than the OE pulley. Although the Ronstan is larger diameter so it all balances out I guess ...
... anyway, the kite flew fine, the pulleys worked as they're supposed to and all the rigging looks bomb-proof. It may just be psychological, but I swear that the steering/sheeting response was smoother ... and crisper, if it's possible to be both at the same time!
Well, that's done - now to sell all my Synergy's to fund my upgrade to Chargers ... I don't suppose that you know anyone that wants an immaculate 8, 10, 12 or 15 and a barely used 19, do you? ;)
Edit : 15 is gone, 19 is going I think ... need to sell off the tiddlers. Got a line on a 19m Charger - woop woop! - so I can see what all the moaning is about ...
Ronstan Orbit series 20 blocks (pulleys) on it a while back, but only now just got around to flying it.
Used the same method as on the Charger to attach the block - little pig tail through the block then "Lark's Head" onto the strap on the kite. I used 3.2mm Amsteel Blue (in red) and stitched and knotted the pig tail. I think I used about 140mm but I forget now ... anyway, it was a tight fit to get onto the kite, but now it's only about 5mm longer than the OE pulley. Although the Ronstan is larger diameter so it all balances out I guess ...
... anyway, the kite flew fine, the pulleys worked as they're supposed to and all the rigging looks bomb-proof. It may just be psychological, but I swear that the steering/sheeting response was smoother ... and crisper, if it's possible to be both at the same time!
Well, that's done - now to sell all my Synergy's to fund my upgrade to Chargers ... I don't suppose that you know anyone that wants an immaculate 8, 10, 12 or 15 and a barely used 19, do you? ;)
Edit : 15 is gone, 19 is going I think ... need to sell off the tiddlers. Got a line on a 19m Charger - woop woop! - so I can see what all the moaning is about ...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Arc info!
About the VPC, as posted by Tungsten at www.arcusers.net here!
If you are a light weight, you get away with less VPC (or none at all) in the smaller sizes, and a bit to decent VPC in your low wind kites.
The more your arse is on the lard side (like mine), the more of this healthy shifting VPC effect you will fancy; the lower the wind, the more VPC, the higher the wind (high winds are gusty winds), the less instability you want, so less VPC; as an extreme, you may take the VPC off for the crazy winds.
You sure have to spend a bit of time to find your decent amount of VPC effect for the bigger sizes you use, get used to it and enjoy.
So moving the rear line towards the leading edge is increasing the VPC effect ...
If you are a light weight, you get away with less VPC (or none at all) in the smaller sizes, and a bit to decent VPC in your low wind kites.
The more your arse is on the lard side (like mine), the more of this healthy shifting VPC effect you will fancy; the lower the wind, the more VPC, the higher the wind (high winds are gusty winds), the less instability you want, so less VPC; as an extreme, you may take the VPC off for the crazy winds.
You sure have to spend a bit of time to find your decent amount of VPC effect for the bigger sizes you use, get used to it and enjoy.
So moving the rear line towards the leading edge is increasing the VPC effect ...
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Boxing Day Bimble - The Movie!
Hit the lake beach this afternoon to try to get the Synergy to bow-tie and film a recovery and test out the Ozone Access SB harness and finally fly the Flysurfer Outlaw 10m I've had for AGES but have yet to take out of the bag.
Partial success with the Synergy bow-tie thing - try as I might, it wouldn't bow tie or even misbehave too much, despite the iffy wind ... gusty norwester and turbulent near the trees but the Synergy was stable. Got one bow-tie, but as it propellered down, it bounced of the ground and straight back into the air :D
Set a jump and sent the kite across much faster than I intended and went soaring - thoughts of the tragedy in NZ recently flashed through my mind and as I hovered over the safety release, I started going down and relaxed - foot slide to bum landing ...
Had a nightmare with a line tangle as I packed up, dunno WTF that was about. Set up the Outlaw and had a play with that ...
What I learned today ...
• The Ozone harness is nice, feel the pull fairly equally between waist and leg straps unlike the Fusion - the leg straps only seem to be there on the Dakine to stop the harness riding up ... ha!
• One size fits all only just fits :( over ski-pants it'll be tight. Back on the diet!
• The Outlaw feels like a fixed bridle flying on the Ozone Turbo bar - not so much depower effect through the bar.
• Not as lifty as I thought it would be, but it is a small kite. Will be good for landboarding.
• Likes to collapse like a F.B. as I guess it has much less internal pressure when it's not flying.
• I'm a chronic mouth breather :( you can hear "huh-huh-huh" on the video and it's not like I can even blame having a cold ...!
Partial success with the Synergy bow-tie thing - try as I might, it wouldn't bow tie or even misbehave too much, despite the iffy wind ... gusty norwester and turbulent near the trees but the Synergy was stable. Got one bow-tie, but as it propellered down, it bounced of the ground and straight back into the air :D
Set a jump and sent the kite across much faster than I intended and went soaring - thoughts of the tragedy in NZ recently flashed through my mind and as I hovered over the safety release, I started going down and relaxed - foot slide to bum landing ...
Had a nightmare with a line tangle as I packed up, dunno WTF that was about. Set up the Outlaw and had a play with that ...
What I learned today ...
• The Ozone harness is nice, feel the pull fairly equally between waist and leg straps unlike the Fusion - the leg straps only seem to be there on the Dakine to stop the harness riding up ... ha!
• One size fits all only just fits :( over ski-pants it'll be tight. Back on the diet!
• The Outlaw feels like a fixed bridle flying on the Ozone Turbo bar - not so much depower effect through the bar.
• Not as lifty as I thought it would be, but it is a small kite. Will be good for landboarding.
• Likes to collapse like a F.B. as I guess it has much less internal pressure when it's not flying.
• I'm a chronic mouth breather :( you can hear "huh-huh-huh" on the video and it's not like I can even blame having a cold ...!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas Quickee - The Movie!
A short blast with the Synergy 19 in over-powered conditions :D
I went to the lake with the intention of filming my de-bowtie technique (should I have managed to pull it off again) but the wind was just too full on. I also didn't have the right shoes on for scudding so I just played around a bit ...
Didn't get the camera angle right either :(
I went to the lake with the intention of filming my de-bowtie technique (should I have managed to pull it off again) but the wind was just too full on. I also didn't have the right shoes on for scudding so I just played around a bit ...
Didn't get the camera angle right either :(
Thursday, December 23, 2010
I am the Bow-tie freakin' Master!
Toddled off to the lake today to have a play with the Psycho3 13 ... why not, it's holidays and I've got nothing better to do! Didn't take board or togs cos I figured it was too cold, but it was actually quite nice down there and no colder than the last time I was on the lake. Oh well.
Wind was supposed to be good but was shifty as hell, going all the from east to west at one stage! Gusty too.
Checked out the Psycho and put it up. Bridle had a little tangle so I had to put it down. Sorted that out and up she goes - much easier in the very light wind than the S2 19 (or even what I remember of the S1 17) but that's to be expected with a smaller kite. Got a good feel for it in light to moderate wind and it certainly will be a fun tractor! Need to tidy up the bar ... packed up, started to head back to the car but then stood around for a while shooting the breeze with Miyachi. The wind picked up so I thought, "Why not haul out the Synergy 19?" which I did.
At first the wind was good but then it dropped off, and I thought the wind would be too light to even fill let alone launch. Picked up again and I got a good fill. As I tried to launch the wind shifted so I struggled to get the kite in the air - was running around from north to west and back again to stay upwind of the kite.
Note this well - got it into the air despite not being 100% inflated on the ground AS ALWAYS and managed to get it filled on the way up to the zenith but then the wind dropped and I lost control.
Bow-tie. Managed to untangle it from the bar though - can't remember exactly what I did, but noticed that I might be able to get it LE down so pulled a rear line to do that, that just relaunched by the standard method. That worked the other 2 times I bow-tied :D who says you can't bow-tie a Synergy?
Wind came back with a vengeance - HOLY FUCK what a difference pulling the straps up and shifting the VPC makes! Had everything set at 1/2 for so long ... all tight and it's a mighty beast! Had to watch the jumps cos they were getting silly high and the landings were rattling my teeth! Massive long scuds took me from one end of the beach to the other until I hit a bank thing and got lobbed over it!
Wind died off, but by working the kite I kept it in the air while the guys out on the water with the LEIs were swimming in.
Excellent CarlTB stall landing and after switching the VPC lines to the opposite position (don't like it) a painless relaunch was enjoyed.
Great afternoon, now worn out and have sand in mysterious places ... and am thinking about Chargers now!
Wind was supposed to be good but was shifty as hell, going all the from east to west at one stage! Gusty too.
Checked out the Psycho and put it up. Bridle had a little tangle so I had to put it down. Sorted that out and up she goes - much easier in the very light wind than the S2 19 (or even what I remember of the S1 17) but that's to be expected with a smaller kite. Got a good feel for it in light to moderate wind and it certainly will be a fun tractor! Need to tidy up the bar ... packed up, started to head back to the car but then stood around for a while shooting the breeze with Miyachi. The wind picked up so I thought, "Why not haul out the Synergy 19?" which I did.
At first the wind was good but then it dropped off, and I thought the wind would be too light to even fill let alone launch. Picked up again and I got a good fill. As I tried to launch the wind shifted so I struggled to get the kite in the air - was running around from north to west and back again to stay upwind of the kite.
Note this well - got it into the air despite not being 100% inflated on the ground AS ALWAYS and managed to get it filled on the way up to the zenith but then the wind dropped and I lost control.
Bow-tie. Managed to untangle it from the bar though - can't remember exactly what I did, but noticed that I might be able to get it LE down so pulled a rear line to do that, that just relaunched by the standard method. That worked the other 2 times I bow-tied :D who says you can't bow-tie a Synergy?
Wind came back with a vengeance - HOLY FUCK what a difference pulling the straps up and shifting the VPC makes! Had everything set at 1/2 for so long ... all tight and it's a mighty beast! Had to watch the jumps cos they were getting silly high and the landings were rattling my teeth! Massive long scuds took me from one end of the beach to the other until I hit a bank thing and got lobbed over it!
Wind died off, but by working the kite I kept it in the air while the guys out on the water with the LEIs were swimming in.
Excellent CarlTB stall landing and after switching the VPC lines to the opposite position (don't like it) a painless relaunch was enjoyed.
Great afternoon, now worn out and have sand in mysterious places ... and am thinking about Chargers now!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
There's a Psycho in my closet!
The Flysurfer Psycho3 13 I bought used from an Italian in the navy arrived yesterday ... unrolled it today to pack it up nice. Bar needs a bit of attention but for the price, the kite is in great condition! Enjoy the pics :)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Rebble, Rebble! - The Movie!
Old movie I thought I'd uploaded from March, 2010.
End of winter ride in the park on the ol' landboard, earlier this year, filmed with a helmet mounted GoPro.
You'll notice around 3:28 the very, very good reason for wearing kite killers! Also note that the back strap in no way affected my ability to ditch the kite when the gust hit ...
End of winter ride in the park on the ol' landboard, earlier this year, filmed with a helmet mounted GoPro.
You'll notice around 3:28 the very, very good reason for wearing kite killers! Also note that the back strap in no way affected my ability to ditch the kite when the gust hit ...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Learning to Fly - The Movie!
a.k.a. 37 going on 13. Usually it's years old, not degrees Celsius although the parallel is striking! Between summer and today. Ok not so interesting, shutting up ...
Forecast looked kickin' and it coincided with a holiday! Awesome :) so despite it being 13°C I headed out to the lake at 10-ish with my Crossbows and Synergy 19 in the boot.
Pumped up the new 2011 13 cos I wanted to get some GoPro of big jumps before the end of this season :D on reflection, I probably would have had more fun on the Synergy. Oh well.
Got on the water about 11 and while it was a bit of a cold shock to the body, it wasn't that bad. I started out the Rip Plus but I just wasn't feeling it in the chop (waves!) so went and got my trusty Flydoor from the beach. Much better!
The 13 'bow is a bit twitchy ... really gotta keep the speed in it and the board to get a constant pull - not as tractor-tastic as the 16, strangely enough. Took a bit to get used to but I got it after a while. So with the camera rolling I got stuck in ...
Wind was muy gusty ... was a touch over-powered in the gusts, just powered in the lulls (didn't lose much ground downwind) and generally was just about right. Had a great time trying to go as big as I could and got slammed good many times - obviously I'm trying then according to Law of Carl :D
Had a great 3 hours or so on the water but my thighs were started to give up - literally - so I headed back into shore in the next lull. My emergence from the water was greeted with guffaws from those standing watching - they're all in full length wetsuits and I'm in t-shirt (and rash guard) and shorts; but I wasn't cold until I got off the water and was just standing around trying to pack up!
What I learned today ...
• Don't spit into the wind.
• Miyachi said, point your board downwind more when you land the big jumps!
• Still got a few degrees C more to go until it's too cold :D
• The line mount on the GoPro - don't push the camera back against the base, it points too far down. And I really need a 16Gb-er. The Rain-Xing worked good though.
• I need more time on the Rip Plus but it's hard to invest that time when the Flydoor is so much easier to ride!
• Don't breathe out on the way down, underwater ... sometimes, you don't float back up so good.
• You can (and should) direct your body by turning and looking where you want to go - you can drive your body around much easier.
• When in doubt - stomp on the rear foot!
And here's the footage ...
Probably the only one worth watching so far. Artist merit - zero. Skillful tricks - zero. Big splashes - many. I like making the big splashes.
Learning to Fly from Kevin Henry on Vimeo.
Forecast looked kickin' and it coincided with a holiday! Awesome :) so despite it being 13°C I headed out to the lake at 10-ish with my Crossbows and Synergy 19 in the boot.
Pumped up the new 2011 13 cos I wanted to get some GoPro of big jumps before the end of this season :D on reflection, I probably would have had more fun on the Synergy. Oh well.
Got on the water about 11 and while it was a bit of a cold shock to the body, it wasn't that bad. I started out the Rip Plus but I just wasn't feeling it in the chop (waves!) so went and got my trusty Flydoor from the beach. Much better!
The 13 'bow is a bit twitchy ... really gotta keep the speed in it and the board to get a constant pull - not as tractor-tastic as the 16, strangely enough. Took a bit to get used to but I got it after a while. So with the camera rolling I got stuck in ...
Wind was muy gusty ... was a touch over-powered in the gusts, just powered in the lulls (didn't lose much ground downwind) and generally was just about right. Had a great time trying to go as big as I could and got slammed good many times - obviously I'm trying then according to Law of Carl :D
Had a great 3 hours or so on the water but my thighs were started to give up - literally - so I headed back into shore in the next lull. My emergence from the water was greeted with guffaws from those standing watching - they're all in full length wetsuits and I'm in t-shirt (and rash guard) and shorts; but I wasn't cold until I got off the water and was just standing around trying to pack up!
What I learned today ...
• Don't spit into the wind.
• Miyachi said, point your board downwind more when you land the big jumps!
• Still got a few degrees C more to go until it's too cold :D
• The line mount on the GoPro - don't push the camera back against the base, it points too far down. And I really need a 16Gb-er. The Rain-Xing worked good though.
• I need more time on the Rip Plus but it's hard to invest that time when the Flydoor is so much easier to ride!
• Don't breathe out on the way down, underwater ... sometimes, you don't float back up so good.
• You can (and should) direct your body by turning and looking where you want to go - you can drive your body around much easier.
• When in doubt - stomp on the rear foot!
And here's the footage ...
Probably the only one worth watching so far. Artist merit - zero. Skillful tricks - zero. Big splashes - many. I like making the big splashes.
Learning to Fly from Kevin Henry on Vimeo.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Some pics!
Finally we have a yard big enough to lay out a kite in flat and still be able to walk around it! This yard is bigger than our last house, and THAT yard was considered frivolously enormous! It was the largest in the neighborhood by a long shot ... ah, Japan - better to build your house right out to the borders of your tiny bit of land than it is to have a bit o' lawn you can dig your toes in, keeping you away from getting intimate with the audio track of the neighbor's bodily functions :o
Click for big ones :)
My 2010 Cabrinha Crossbow 16 ... plenty of room to spare!
Synergy 19 ... the Sea Blue actually looks much nicer in the flesh - the Synergy's are truly pretty kites! Which makes it equally hard to shift to Chargers ...!
Synergy 15 has little use but also is a beautiful colour!
A completely unused Synergy 12 ... still so brand new it hurts :( just don't have the wind for it here!
Click for big ones :)
My 2010 Cabrinha Crossbow 16 ... plenty of room to spare!
Synergy 19 ... the Sea Blue actually looks much nicer in the flesh - the Synergy's are truly pretty kites! Which makes it equally hard to shift to Chargers ...!
Synergy 15 has little use but also is a beautiful colour!
A completely unused Synergy 12 ... still so brand new it hurts :( just don't have the wind for it here!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Night kiting
... by Feyd a.k.a Hardwater Kiter. Just in case he doesn't upload anything to his blog (har!) here's a pic of his night rig in a Charger.
Quote from PKF ...
"Changed my lighting system. Put the Million in and Superflashes on tips.
I'm so gonna get arrested for causing a disturbance.
...
All lights together weigh less than a pound. Gonna have to call the authorities before I go out to give them a heads up :D"
The last, was a comment about how people have called the cops after seeing night-lighted kites and mistaking them for UFOs :/
If I can get more details or pics, I'll add them at a later date.
Quote from PKF ...
"Changed my lighting system. Put the Million in and Superflashes on tips.
I'm so gonna get arrested for causing a disturbance.
...
All lights together weigh less than a pound. Gonna have to call the authorities before I go out to give them a heads up :D"
The last, was a comment about how people have called the cops after seeing night-lighted kites and mistaking them for UFOs :/
If I can get more details or pics, I'll add them at a later date.
Monday, November 15, 2010
No joy
Went to the lake. The wind wasn't really there. Got in the water, got on the water for a bit, splashed around, got out, went home. Tits.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Yo turbo'd my Core man!
No work this weekend so we trotted down to Hamamatsu. Forecast was ass but I took a full load of kite gear and lobbed my Core 6.7 and new Ozone Turbo bar in the boot too ...
Arrived at Maisaka Beach about 4pm with a touch of wind, so I unpacked the Core and Ozone and had a play while the wife went walkies.
There was hardly any wind so set up was no problem - walked the lines out of the bag, had a quick fly so I remembered what flying on handles was like (it's been a few months!) then landed and swapped to the Turbo bar ...
Compared to my homemade thing, it's much smaller and nicer :D the amount of "depower" throw is much less, as is the trim and the leader lines are much shorter. Something to work on for the rest DIY version ...
Launched and had some play time ...
Works real nice! Strangely enough :D
Brake input is enough for turning but a bit limited for actually stopping the kite but you can trim in more.
Kite turns lovely - tight enough to turn almost on a wingtip yet not lose too much speed - and is super-stable, easily recoverable in the light winds when it luffed - quick tug on the center lines.
Tested the various safety releases ... red hat above the bar is the best without a doubt, but I'd need to train my instincts for that one. Chicken loop release with a leash to the landing handle is probably easier to do but the leash doesn't spin with the bar and that lead to tangles.
Also played unhooked and the bar could be trimmed to fly nicely like that but DAMN the whole point is to take the strain through the harness!
Compared to my Version 1.0 DIY crossober bar, I had too much depower and the leaders were too long, but they handled pretty much the same ... although being able to stall the kite with the bar on my version was handy. Probably unnecessary too :)
So I think in the end, the landboarders will love it but the buggy guys will probably stick with handles. There's a little loss of fine control that you have with handles but you gain more consistent power and a much longer ride!
Arrived at Maisaka Beach about 4pm with a touch of wind, so I unpacked the Core and Ozone and had a play while the wife went walkies.
There was hardly any wind so set up was no problem - walked the lines out of the bag, had a quick fly so I remembered what flying on handles was like (it's been a few months!) then landed and swapped to the Turbo bar ...
Compared to my homemade thing, it's much smaller and nicer :D the amount of "depower" throw is much less, as is the trim and the leader lines are much shorter. Something to work on for the rest DIY version ...
Launched and had some play time ...
Works real nice! Strangely enough :D
Brake input is enough for turning but a bit limited for actually stopping the kite but you can trim in more.
Kite turns lovely - tight enough to turn almost on a wingtip yet not lose too much speed - and is super-stable, easily recoverable in the light winds when it luffed - quick tug on the center lines.
Tested the various safety releases ... red hat above the bar is the best without a doubt, but I'd need to train my instincts for that one. Chicken loop release with a leash to the landing handle is probably easier to do but the leash doesn't spin with the bar and that lead to tangles.
Also played unhooked and the bar could be trimmed to fly nicely like that but DAMN the whole point is to take the strain through the harness!
Compared to my Version 1.0 DIY crossober bar, I had too much depower and the leaders were too long, but they handled pretty much the same ... although being able to stall the kite with the bar on my version was handy. Probably unnecessary too :)
So I think in the end, the landboarders will love it but the buggy guys will probably stick with handles. There's a little loss of fine control that you have with handles but you gain more consistent power and a much longer ride!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Brass monkeys come to mind ...
Didn't sleep well last night cos the wife was thrashing around like a spastic and talking in her sleep, waking me up non-stop and when I finally woke up, my guts were griping so I stayed home and sat on the crapper for a while.
Got bored so drove to the lake to check the wind. It was ridable but was offshore - westerly and a little southerly - so I drove over to the Pacific coast and checked out a beach there, called Rinku Beach. Maybe - it might also be called Centrair Artificial Beach. Westerly was driving onshore around 40 knots I reckon :o I had to lean into the wind, the car was bouncing around in the carpark like an elephant was humping its leg and opening my mouth made those "blowing over the top of a bottle" noises ...! Nice little beach though, enclosed by water breaks but you could get outside them easy enough and there's enough sand and grass to setup and launch foils or arcs. Headed back to Shiga and went to Locus again. Had a chat with Miyachi and impressed him with my splicing skills then the wind kicked up and a couple of the uncles were going to the lake so I changed and charged over too ...
Dead-on cross-shore wind, a first for me at Locus or indeed anywhere - must be coming in exactly west. Bit worried about fucking up and drifting off up the lake! Wind isn't up to much by the looks of the whitecaps - I really want to use my new 13m Crossbow (in the limited edition Color 001 :D ) but decide on the 16. Yahoo! weather informs me it was 12 knots ...! Don't believe it.
Launch the Crossbow and jump on the water ... whee! bit fresh :o Noticeably cold but not take your breath away ...
Blast out, blast back it's ok, I'm making ground upwind just fine. Throw down a few jumps, get some nice floaty ones. The uncles are watching, haven't launched their kites yet ... the wind is just enough then after 10 minutes it dies right off ... the 'bow Hindenburgs on me just at the shore and I actually catch it and carry it ashore, wrap the lines up to get them out of the water then lay it all out again.
We wait a bit, and the wind picks up good again and the horizon promises more, so I launch and hit the water. Bit iffy but I'm riding and holding ground. Uncles finally launch their kites and the wind picks up more! It's a touch off-shore (eep!) and it's creating a bit of a hole nearer the shore, with a strong band way out but I don't want to get stuck all the way out there ... gradually, I dip further and further into the jet stream. It comes and goes but I keep riding for another 90 minutes till about 5pm.
Nicely powered, a little too much in the gusts but that just makes the jumps more fun :D I'm loving the Recoil upgrade to the Cab bar, doing some nice hop/toe-heel carving turns with a downloop and then unspinning the bar like a cool guy :D Also love sheeting right out or dropping the bar and then not having a tangle of balls and trim ropes! Definite must for 2010 Cab bars and freeriders!
What I learned today ...
• Recoil is the shit!
• I'm fine ON the water, warm up IN the water but once the sun goes under the horizon and I'm OFF the water, I'm freezing my nuts off. Better to change out of wet clothes and THEN pack up the kite!
• Downloop on the carve toe to heelside is sweet!
• Cross-shore is a bit scary, especially when it shifts to cross-off :o I'm less inclined to play silly buggers when I'm faced with a 3-hour walk if I get blown off downwind ...!
Got bored so drove to the lake to check the wind. It was ridable but was offshore - westerly and a little southerly - so I drove over to the Pacific coast and checked out a beach there, called Rinku Beach. Maybe - it might also be called Centrair Artificial Beach. Westerly was driving onshore around 40 knots I reckon :o I had to lean into the wind, the car was bouncing around in the carpark like an elephant was humping its leg and opening my mouth made those "blowing over the top of a bottle" noises ...! Nice little beach though, enclosed by water breaks but you could get outside them easy enough and there's enough sand and grass to setup and launch foils or arcs. Headed back to Shiga and went to Locus again. Had a chat with Miyachi and impressed him with my splicing skills then the wind kicked up and a couple of the uncles were going to the lake so I changed and charged over too ...
Dead-on cross-shore wind, a first for me at Locus or indeed anywhere - must be coming in exactly west. Bit worried about fucking up and drifting off up the lake! Wind isn't up to much by the looks of the whitecaps - I really want to use my new 13m Crossbow (in the limited edition Color 001 :D ) but decide on the 16. Yahoo! weather informs me it was 12 knots ...! Don't believe it.
Launch the Crossbow and jump on the water ... whee! bit fresh :o Noticeably cold but not take your breath away ...
Blast out, blast back it's ok, I'm making ground upwind just fine. Throw down a few jumps, get some nice floaty ones. The uncles are watching, haven't launched their kites yet ... the wind is just enough then after 10 minutes it dies right off ... the 'bow Hindenburgs on me just at the shore and I actually catch it and carry it ashore, wrap the lines up to get them out of the water then lay it all out again.
We wait a bit, and the wind picks up good again and the horizon promises more, so I launch and hit the water. Bit iffy but I'm riding and holding ground. Uncles finally launch their kites and the wind picks up more! It's a touch off-shore (eep!) and it's creating a bit of a hole nearer the shore, with a strong band way out but I don't want to get stuck all the way out there ... gradually, I dip further and further into the jet stream. It comes and goes but I keep riding for another 90 minutes till about 5pm.
Nicely powered, a little too much in the gusts but that just makes the jumps more fun :D I'm loving the Recoil upgrade to the Cab bar, doing some nice hop/toe-heel carving turns with a downloop and then unspinning the bar like a cool guy :D Also love sheeting right out or dropping the bar and then not having a tangle of balls and trim ropes! Definite must for 2010 Cab bars and freeriders!
What I learned today ...
• Recoil is the shit!
• I'm fine ON the water, warm up IN the water but once the sun goes under the horizon and I'm OFF the water, I'm freezing my nuts off. Better to change out of wet clothes and THEN pack up the kite!
• Downloop on the carve toe to heelside is sweet!
• Cross-shore is a bit scary, especially when it shifts to cross-off :o I'm less inclined to play silly buggers when I'm faced with a 3-hour walk if I get blown off downwind ...!
Friday, November 5, 2010
I'm the man! - The Movie!
At long bloody last! OMG I'm not wasting any more time meddling with that damned Sony Vegas again, trying to straighten out horizons frame by frame!
This was one of my first sessions of actually riding around, doing stuff and having fun like a REAL kiteboarder ... instead of just trying to stay on the board or battling to go upwind.
I was feeling rather impressed with myself so yes I'm trying to be tongue-in-cheek with the title ...!
Get more details of the original event here ...
This was one of my first sessions of actually riding around, doing stuff and having fun like a REAL kiteboarder ... instead of just trying to stay on the board or battling to go upwind.
I was feeling rather impressed with myself so yes I'm trying to be tongue-in-cheek with the title ...!
Get more details of the original event here ...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
2 kites, 1 session - no cups!
Careful observation of the weather witchcraft website gpv-weather.info lead me down to the lake at 11am. Started out nicely powered on the Crossbow, but soon was wa-aaay overpowered - 8m/s was forecast but it felt like 10+. Packed it up, went back to the car and got my 15m Synergy.
Man, I'm glad I did! Had an epic session of hard riding, hard landings and a few big jumps though not as many as I'd have liked. Was much more in tune with the little arc and had a great ol' time throwing it around and going easy on the bar :)
I was the only person on the lake for about 90 minutes! The wind dropped of as others were starting to show up - I guessed they'd turned up for the afternoon blow that I guessed wasn't coming - so I slogged into shore and self-landed.
Waited around for the wind and it didn't seem to be coming. Picked up a bit, so I unpacked and re-pumped the 'bow ... faaaark!
Got about 30 minutes of noodling around before I muffed a jump and the kite inverted WTF!!! How about that, the LEI inverted and the arc didn't. Horseshit. Recovered the inverted LEI with arc technique but the right steering line was wrapped around the power lines. Unhooked and sorted that out then spent about 10 minutes body dragging around trying to find my board ... found it then noticed the wind had died so I slogged into shore again ...
The rest of the afternoon was spent telling people "No seriously I'm not cold at all in my shorts and t-shirt/rash guard. Yes I know you're wearing a full-length semi-dry suit but I'm still not cold!" and waiting for the wind. There was a gust around 4pm that got us all excited but it didn't pan out so I called it a day ... apparently the wind picked up as I left the beach but by then I was actually starting to feel cold. And very hungry!
What I learned today ...
• An LEI can invert. It sucks.
• Stopper ball on the Navigator bar is the best idea ever!
• Landings seemed much harsher today, maybe it was the smaller kite. Certainly need to send the kite more to launch.
• The wind in winter is a fickle bitch, but when it's on - it's ALL on! Should have taken the smaller board with me too!
• I need more constant wind so I can start trying aerial transitions etc again ...
• Lazy turns (big radius) up the top, tight turns down the bottom keeps the kite speed and pull constant.
• I'm becoming an expert at packing the very large Crossbow in to the very small Cabrinha bag ... deflate, lay out, roll wingtips into center in flat folds, fold the kite LE to TE in thirds and here's the important bit : put the end with the wing tips into the bottom of the bag and pull the bag edges up over the kite, then zip the flap up and stuff the folded end into the bag ... it should almost fit perfectly.
Man, I'm glad I did! Had an epic session of hard riding, hard landings and a few big jumps though not as many as I'd have liked. Was much more in tune with the little arc and had a great ol' time throwing it around and going easy on the bar :)
I was the only person on the lake for about 90 minutes! The wind dropped of as others were starting to show up - I guessed they'd turned up for the afternoon blow that I guessed wasn't coming - so I slogged into shore and self-landed.
Waited around for the wind and it didn't seem to be coming. Picked up a bit, so I unpacked and re-pumped the 'bow ... faaaark!
Got about 30 minutes of noodling around before I muffed a jump and the kite inverted WTF!!! How about that, the LEI inverted and the arc didn't. Horseshit. Recovered the inverted LEI with arc technique but the right steering line was wrapped around the power lines. Unhooked and sorted that out then spent about 10 minutes body dragging around trying to find my board ... found it then noticed the wind had died so I slogged into shore again ...
The rest of the afternoon was spent telling people "No seriously I'm not cold at all in my shorts and t-shirt/rash guard. Yes I know you're wearing a full-length semi-dry suit but I'm still not cold!" and waiting for the wind. There was a gust around 4pm that got us all excited but it didn't pan out so I called it a day ... apparently the wind picked up as I left the beach but by then I was actually starting to feel cold. And very hungry!
What I learned today ...
• An LEI can invert. It sucks.
• Stopper ball on the Navigator bar is the best idea ever!
• Landings seemed much harsher today, maybe it was the smaller kite. Certainly need to send the kite more to launch.
• The wind in winter is a fickle bitch, but when it's on - it's ALL on! Should have taken the smaller board with me too!
• I need more constant wind so I can start trying aerial transitions etc again ...
• Lazy turns (big radius) up the top, tight turns down the bottom keeps the kite speed and pull constant.
• I'm becoming an expert at packing the very large Crossbow in to the very small Cabrinha bag ... deflate, lay out, roll wingtips into center in flat folds, fold the kite LE to TE in thirds and here's the important bit : put the end with the wing tips into the bottom of the bag and pull the bag edges up over the kite, then zip the flap up and stuff the folded end into the bag ... it should almost fit perfectly.
Monday, November 1, 2010
This is ...
... snowkiting! A classic moive! Hoping to get me a piece of that action this year too ...
snowkite "the way" 2010 from simoneborgi on Vimeo.
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